US declaration on UN reform is not organization’s document

Date of publication: 24 09 2017, 14:30

The US declaration on the UN does not refer to the structures, organized in compliance with the world organization’s Charter and is not a document regulating any of its bodies, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the NTV’s weekly program on Sunday.

“The declaration was signed by countries – many of them – but for that reason it has not become a UN document,” he said. “Yes, the event was organized in that building, but it is not related to any structures, organized by the UN Charter.”

The approaches in the declaration could be used for work of the UN Secretariat if only it receives a respective mandate, the minister continued.

“And receiving a mandate could be only from the Security Council or the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council,” he added.

Besides, he stressed, the UN’s reform could be only a result of talks, involving all the member countries.

“UN should be as it is seen by the member states following talks, involving all those states,” he said. The Russian foreign minister hailed the US interest in the UN. “It would have been worse if they ignored the UN,” he said.